


To Egkataleipo

by C_RIE_ativity



Category: Original Work
Genre: F/M, Fantasy, High Fantasy, Humans are the bad guys, Major Original Character(s), Original Character Death(s), Original Character(s), original lore
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-16
Updated: 2016-02-16
Packaged: 2018-05-21 01:03:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,440
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6032461
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/C_RIE_ativity/pseuds/C_RIE_ativity
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Translation: The Abandoned</p>
<p>Deer-Elves were created by the Lady of the Earth (Known by her Father, brothers and sisters as Kyria Gi or Prásini Kardía) to keep her forests safe and to aid in the growth of her trees, that was her creation's one purpose. And for that, she did not feel any affections for her children.</p>
<p>What will happen now to the Abandoned Children of the Earth, now that they are forgotten by their guardians and their sole protectors are now gone?</p>
            </blockquote>





	To Egkataleipo

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone, I'm Rie, the author of this story. This is a story that's been playing with my mind for too long now and I've been trying to do this to see just how far I could go with world-building and lores. The language I'm using for some parts is Greek, though I think I might need some help with translations since my knowledge in the language isn't much.

Deer-Elves were created by the Lady of the Earth (Known by her Father, brothers and sisters as _Kyria Gi_ or _Prásini Kardía_ ) to keep her forests safe and to aid in the growth of her trees, that was her creation's one purpose. And for that, she did not feel any affections for her children and found it unnecessary to name even the first of her creations. (By law of the Lords and Ladies, as decreed by the All-Father, they must name what shall tend to their holds, by ignoring such a law, the Lady of the Earth should not really have her hold on Earth anymore.)

The Deer-Elves were loyal and dedicated to their task, they made sure to it that the earth was never harmed and if it was, they would sacrifice their strength (and more often than not, their lives as well) to restore the forests' health. It was through these sacrifices that the Father of All (Opatéras) had seen them.

Now, the All-Father was known to love a great many of his children's creations, and when he learned that one of his children, the Lady of the Earth, did not even care for her children, he was angered. What was the use of breathing life into a shell if you will not love it or nurture it?

Calling for his daughter, he inquired about her creations' well-being (Were they safe? How are they in caring for nature? What gifts were given to them? Have they been told that they have done well at least?) and none of the All-Father's questions were answered. The Deer-Elves' mother knew nothing of her children, but the All-Father did.

The Deer-Elves were kind creatures and would aid anyone who asks for their help, their naïveté only made this worse, for humans have began taking advantage of them, enslaving them and forcing them to give life to barren lands, resulting in many of the Earth-Keepers' (for that was what the Lords and Ladies of creation named them) deaths, aside from the humans forcing the creatures to work for them, the Deer-Elves were constantly being hunted for sport. To answer the All-Father's first question, the Lady of the Earth's children were not safe.

To answer the second, no matter what happened to their kin, the Deer-Elves did not have time to mourn for they were always caring for the Earth as their mother told them. To shorten the answer. They were doing well in caring for nature.

For the third question, the All-Father spoke with a voice that none of children heard, a voice filled with anger. "Your children have no form of protection, no way whatsoever to hide from hunters, no sanctuary, not even a gift from the heart of their parent unlike their cousins. You gave them no rewards for their deeds and no comfort for their pain." The All-Father made it clear, the Earth-Keepers were given nothing.

For the All-Father's final question, he could only look at his daughter with disappointment, for ever since his grandchildren's creation, they did not hear a single word from their mother, apart from being told their purpose.

It was at that moment that the All-Father had made it clear. The Lady of the Earth was to lose her children, but her father did not kill the Earth-Keepers, instead, he gave the guardianship to the Stone Lord, ( _Dynamipétro_ ) the father of the Dwarves (the Stone Masters). The Lady of the Earth was never to see her children, not even for the first time in many centuries.

The Stone Lord gladly adopted the Earth-Keepers and he walked among them for many days, speaking with them, learning what he can of them, and what he learned broke his heart. For they never lost their innocence, and when he became furious at the humans who dared to hurt them, they begged him not to harm the people, for they still 'don't know what happens' if the Deer-Elves give life to barren lands. To see these gentle souls, to see these peaceful souls being left to perish, it had hurt him far more than he thought it could hurt his sister, their mother.

Through the time he spent with the Earth-Keepers he learned that none of them had any names, even the children of the first creations did not bear a name, (they were given titles such as Born of Hope, or Child of Stars by their parents) the Stone Lord learned that they were far too peaceful and forgiving for their own good, a simple apology would be swiftly accepted and any wrongs that have been done to them would be dismissed and forgiven. What's more, he learned that they did not mind the fact that their mother ignored them, saying that she had better things to do and she needed to see to her lands, this served to fuel the Stone Lord's anger toward both the humans and his sister.

The Stone Lord did not want his adopted children nameless, but, he still wished for their choice to be made on such a matter. He was told that unless some of the Deer-Elves is important or significant enough to be remembered, they do not see the importance of being given a name. Despite the fact that the Stone Lord had wanted to name each and every one of them, he respected the Earth-Keepers' wish. And should one ask, the Stone Lord would simply smile before saying 'they have made their own choice'.

As much as the Stone Lord did not wish to do anything about the peaceful and forgiving nature of the Deer-Elves, he knew that they will be hunted far too easily by the humans if he let them continue the way they do. But when he brought up fighting, the Earth-Keepers looked horrified at the thought. After all, when did the Keepers of the Earth harm anyone?

'If you cannot fight, then grant me this wish. Hide deep into the forests and do not reveal yourselves to Men, lest you hear the trees whisper of safety, you are not to show yourself.' These were the Stone Lord's words to his adopted children. Though reluctant, the Deer-Elves allowed their father his request.

But the Stone Lord was not yet done, for he next went to his sons' sanctuary and spoke to them. He asked them to protect their distant cousins turned sibling, should Humans come in search for the Earth-Keepers, they are to get lost in the woods first. The dwarves readily agreed. They have seen the love Deer-Elves had for all those around them, they were innocent love's embodiment. And the Stone Masters was unconditional love's material form. Without hesitation, the Stone Masters woke the different stones of the forest, asking them to keep their eyes out for humans, to make sure that none get past the borders of the Deer-Elves, and the stones gladly followed.

This was how the Deer-Elves became safe from the humans as long as they stay in the forest.

Now, the Deer-Elves' hair was not always green or even a greenish-blue hue, no, their hair was as golden as the sun. Some would even go so far as to say that their hair glowed, and another group of people would say that that was one of the many reasons of the Earth-Keepers' easy capture. As beautiful as his new children's hair was, the Stone Lord did not wish to endanger them any further, (for even if they were safe in the forest, what happens if a human gets past the protection of his sons?) with such a thought in mind, he first approached the Lady of the Sky ( _Ouranós Mitéra_ ), his elder sister, the Mother of the Sylphs (the Wind Riders), and from her, he asked for the colour of the trees that she would always paint so carefully on the sky after a storm or rain to touch their hair. The Lady of the Sky asked for her brother's reason (despite gift sharing being a common practice among the Lords and Ladies of Creation, they oft need a good reason to grant the gift) and the Stone Lord told her how his children were hunted by humans and to protect them, he wished for their hair to bear the colour of the trees and grass so they may hide from their pursuers. It was without a moment's hesitation that the first gift to the Deer-Elves was given.

Next was the Lord of the Wild ( _Ágria Kyríou_ ), Father of the Fauns, (the Wild Runners) from him, the Stone Lord asked that his children be given the antlers of the deer so they may be used to deceive the humans with the illusion of branches, and if not, the antlers will be used as a form of protection. Before another breath can be taken, the Lord of the Wild had blessed the Earth-Keepers the antlers. However, these antlers would only come should they meet someone that has given them enough reason to protect, to result to violence for the sake of one person. (The Lord of the Wild was a strange fellow and he may or may not have forgotten to tell his brother that he granted this possibility to both genders, he thought better than to tell now)

But the Stone Lord was not yet through, and he asked for the Lord of the Wild's gift of Morphing, a gift the fauns had. Reluctantly, the Lord of the Wild granted his brother's request, giving the Earth-Keepers the gift of being able to morph into a deer, but he never forgot to remind his brother of the heavy price to be paid should the Deer-Elves morph. They are never to turn back, for no matter how peaceful a being is, one can still abuse the power of transformation. But the heaviest price of all for the Deer-Elves who would love a great many, either as a friend, family, or lover, is that once an Earth-Keeper morphs, they lose the memories of their lives as a Deer-Elf, never to remember the ones whom they loved, never to recognise their kin, forever cursed to remain a deer. The Stone Lord knew of the price, and yet, he still thanked his brother.

And the final gift was, for the Stone Lord, the most dangerous. But despite knowing such a danger, he still left in search for his exiled sister, the Lady of the Earth.

From her, he asked if she may grant her children a gift, she was told she cannot see her children but that did not mean that she cannot give the Deer-Elves anything from afar. But his sister remained indifferent, after all, why would she help something who bore no importance?

The Stone Lord wanted to force her to see and feel what her children went through, but he knew better, she was still his kin and he did not wish for her eyes to be opened through her children's pain.

But if there was one thing that the Stone Lord learned of, it was his sister's hatred for her powers being insulted, and he used at to his advantage. 'What kind of a Lady of Creation are you if you cannot grant but one gift to my children?' He asked before he added, 'Perhaps Father had finally taken away your powers for you are weaker than you make yourself seem.' The words were simple enough but it angered his sister, just as he needed.

Wanting to show off her powers, the Lady of the Earth had granted the Earth-Keepers the flowers of healing, flowers that shall grow on their hair, and it shall bloom if and only if, someone they care about is hurt to the point of near death. When the Stone Lord heard this, he was glad about such a gift, but when he heard the price, he regretted his decision of asking for his sister's help. For with every flower plucked from the hair of the Deer-Elves (for both male and female Deer-Elves can have flowers) a piece of their strength is taken away from them, leaving them weak and tired.

With the gifts bestowed upon his children, the Stone Lord felt at peace. Perhaps the Deer-Elves will be safe from those who wished them harm now.

But he was wrong.

Now, the humans did not forget about the Deer-Elves, who can forget a creature of strange beauty? And when the last of their golden haired captives perished, they went to the forest in search of more.

But the Dwarves' first defences, the stones, had already arranged a wall in front of the forest, behind the stone wall were the sons of the Stone Lord, holding their pick axes and hammers as their only weapons, ready to fight against the humans should a war happen between humans and the children of the Lords and Ladies of Creation. An escape was planned by the eldest of the Dwaves so that they may help the Earth-Keepers find a safer place to dwell in. But to their relief, the humans left the moment the stones crushed a human for trying to dig underneath the wall. After all, with the Stone Masters present, the stones were awake and filled with energy and life, and to feel a threat of a stranger, the stones were not so fond of such a knowledge. With the humans gone from their sight, the Dwarves thought their siblings by bond were finally safe.

And once again they were wrong.

Now, there was one element that was not exactly made for a purpose of caring, but to destroy. The Fire Holders, or as the mortals called, Salamanders. They were great lizards who breathed fire, they were not wyrms or wyverns, they were not dragons or anything of that ilk, they were mere lizards who spoke and burned like a furnace. These were the ones who took control of the flames, and they only wished for one thing. Destruction.

The humans knew that the Salamanders did not care for bribes and that the humans could be easily disposed of if they are deemed a nuisance, but the humans knew the Fire Holders' great dislike for the Stone Masters. For the Stone Masters were the only ones capable of withstanding the flames licking the lizards' bodies. And that was the prize offered by the mortal men to the Fire Holders should the Salamanders join the humans in their war to claim the Earth Keepers.

It was far too sudden. One moment, the Dwarves were happily celebrating with their kin and adopted kin, thinking the Deer-Elves free from the claws of humans. The next, fire began raining down the trees, burning and destroying the life that the Earth Keepers had given to the earth, and the Deer-Elves could only stay immobile for so long before they began running, searching for the ones responsible for the trees' suffering.

The Dwarves on the other hand, knew.

One could perhaps wish for a description of battle, one may wish to hear the casualties and one might want to know who suffered under the lizards' flames. But one should never ask for this, and you need only know that the Deer-Elves were given great cause to despise the heat, they were given great cause to fear. After all, the humans did not damage their earth, but the Fire Holders can do more than destroy. They can liquidate an entire race should they wish. And without much thought, the first to stand against a Salamander was a young Stag, he was known as 'Son of Tears' and he had found someone he wished to protect, it was a Doe, 'Daughter of Yearning' and as promised, antlers were gifted to him. (He later went on to become the King of the Deer-Elves, Adrastos Adamos, the Doe was renamed, Adamina Aiyana, and she was the first of the Deer-Elves to be gifted with both healing and protection.) The battle was short and the Earth Keepers were falling, dying, fading.

No hope could be seen for them.

Perhaps the Dwarves knew beforehand that only one race will live through, perhaps the Dwarves had made the decision themselves to end their race, or perhaps the Stone Masters had cared so deeply for the Deer-Elves that they had forsaken themselves. All they knew was that they bade their youngest to sleep long and sleep well, and then they went out, calling for their rivals (for in their eyes, no one is an enemy, just a mere rival. They were all kin. And to them, the Fire Holders were no different) and that was when the first and greatest sacrifice was made. In the heart of a forest, at the time the sun was highest, and in the burning circle of trees.

The dwarves have summoned their life stones, their _Zoipétra_ , a glowing stone of varying hues that their Father had given to them, and inside it were the Dwarves' essence, their souls, and when they were surrounded by the Salamanders, they trapped themselves and the Fire Holders within their stones, allowing themselves to turn into mere statues, forced to see the world pass without moving.

The Stone Masters were no more. The stones no longer sang, the gems no longer told tales, they merely remained asleep. Never to wake, never to be seen. Never to be heard.

And yet, in the Dwarves' greatest sacrifice, they have forsaken the ones they wished to protect. For now, the injured Earth Keepers were trapped by humans, and the once innocent Earth-Keepers saw their ends.

Were it not for the Sylphs of the Sky, and the Fauns of the Wild, two races would have perished.

The Sylphs took the winds and commanded the air to choke the nearest to the Earth Keepers, and the Wild Runners needed only to throw their spears to fell the mortal men. And despite the victory, a great loss was felt, and a great loss there was.

The Deer-Elves have loved the Dwarves dearly, some might even throw in how an Earth Keeper married a Stone Master, but perhaps this was untrue, and when the fires of the Salamanders have died down, they went to the heart of the forest, where the Dwarves would visit to join in the celebration of a fruitful year, and what greeted them tore their souls apart.

The sight of statues, well known ones, the sight of the beings who cared for them and protected them all in stone, their grips were tight round different stones, and the Deer-Elves did not see the faint glow. For the Earth Keepers have rushed to the dwarves who called them kith and kin, the Dwarves who they called beloved, the Deer Elves rushed to the statues, begging for the Dwarves to return, pleading and hoping they were heard.

For who else would laugh when a Stag would accidentally stumble over his own hooves in hopes of gaining a Doe's attention? Who else would whisper the secrets of the stones as if the Deer Elves understood? Who else would help them when so few had? The material form of unconditional love was gone.

And the Stone Lord was too late in learning of his sons' demise.

He loved the Earth Keepers, but the Dwarves were his first born, they were the ones he offered his sweat and tears, his blood and strength to. He had given up so much of himself for the Stone Masters and now, his sons were naught but statues with their ever seeing eyes.

And that was when the Stone Lord retired into his realm, never to see his adopted children, never to listen for his remaining children's pleas. Never to learn of the pain the Earth Keepers bore at the sight of their fallen dwarves.

The Deer-Elves withdrew into themselves, refusing to speak, and for the first time, they no longer cared for the earth. The winds became cold and bitter, and the flowers faded and died, the earth became hard, and a coldness settled in the world. Winter came for the first time, and it was to mourn for the loss of a race who was honourable and caring. And in the time of mourning, the Deer-Elves never saw their adoptive father.

Even when they had gone back to caring for the lands, even when they slowly began to build their kingdom, even when they attempted to speak to the stones as the dwarves had, the Stone Lord did not come

They were alone. And so they became known as To Egkataleipo. The Abandoned.

And perhaps such a title shall remain for long.

**Author's Note:**

>  **NOTE ON THE LIFE STONES:** The Dwarves are capable of encasing certain forms in there, to be specific, fellow Dwarves are permitted to rest their forms deep into their stones, but to retire deep within a Zoipétra with another form, whether the Dwarf wanted it or not, the Dwarf's punishment is turning into Stone.
> 
> What do you think of the beginning? I hope this is good, I would appreciate any advice and help that would be offered. Thank you for taking the time out of your day for reading this and I hope you look forward to the next chapters!
> 
> Got any questions? Don't hesitate to comment your question and I will answer it to the best of my abilities.
> 
> Ever Grateful,  
> RieG.


End file.
